


Amities

by yeaka



Category: Upload (TV 2020)
Genre: F/M, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26417221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: Nathan gets stuck on the grounds.
Relationships: Nora Antony/Nathan Brown (Upload)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	Amities

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Upload or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

It’s a perfectly nice forest and a perfectly nice day—a cool, pleasant temperature, bright blue skies through the trees, and just enough of a breeze to make the leaves dance. It’s amazing how much of it he can _feel_. The chirping birds sound just like they did out in the _real_ world. So long as he doesn’t look too close—close enough to see the Lakeview logo ingrained in the leaves—everything is wonderful. 

Except that something’s off—just a little, nagging emptiness that’s easily fixed. Nathan grinds to a halt along the meandering trail, hands sliding down into the pockets of his jeans. He calls out, “Angel!”

The air before him pixelates, distorting around the figure of a woman, coalescing into a gorgeous creature wearing familiar black leggings and a red-purple coat. Her sleek hair is brushed down, hear silver earrings glittering, her makeup spotless, her tanned skin glistening in the simulated-summer sun. He greets her with a warm, “Punctual as usual.”

Her grin is glorious. She snorts, “Punctual? Is that really what you’re going with?”

“Beautiful?” he corrects, and it’s worth it—she immediately flushes across her pretty cheeks. “Stylish? Stunning?” Nora rolls her eyes. “Absolutely outstanding?”

She gives him that _look_ that says _behave_ , even though he’s technically a paying customer and could report her for that much sass. Instead, the unspoken scolding just makes him smile. She crosses her arms over her slender chest and bluntly asks, “What do you need, Mr. Brown?”

He lifts one brow. Affronted, he repeats, “’Mr. Brown?’”

“Mhm. You did need something, didn’t you? Because I am on the job here.” He knows—he now has her hours memorized. If she’d been off for the night, he wouldn’t have bothered. Her replacements a one-star compared to her.

Technically, he does need something—the pleasure of her company. Lakeview’s lovely but hollow, and Ingrid’s infrequent calls somehow feel even shallower. Nora’s the deepest thing in his life. But it’d be no good for either of them if he said that, so he says, “I’m lost.”

“ _Lost_?” She looks at him like he’s an idiot. A lot of the time, he is. 

He shrugs and admits, “I guess I’m just a pretty face after all.”

Nora’s pink lips do that crinkled thing she does when she’s trying not to laugh. It’s adorable. She has to know what he’s doing, and he’s grateful when she doesn’t call him on it, infinitely pleased when she plays along. “I _suppose_ I could show you the way back.” She could also just point the way, summon that one redheaded attendant that’s absolutely everywhere, or even snap her fingers and warp them straight to the hotel. But instead she strolls over to him, high black platforms traversing the rocky gravel like it’s smooth concrete. As soon as she’s close enough, he drops his hand and latches onto hers. 

“Cool.”

Nora pauses. She glances down at where their fingers have intertwined, his pale digits thicker and longer and securely holding on. He justifies, “In case I wander off and get more lost.” He dares give her a little squeeze—he could swear he can see her breath hitching. 

But she looks back at him and says, “You know I can’t feel that, right?”

He’d forgotten, actually. And that’s definitely a downer, because it means she won’t be able to feel how fast his pulse is racing. At least it means she also won’t notice if he’s sweating. He says, “That’s okay. I can.”

Her smile is vaguely sad but still beautiful. Even if they don’t say a single other word on their way back, that one picture of emotion will be worth the call. Then she turns away and moves, tugging him along, and teasing on the way, “Just remember to give me five stars.”


End file.
